lpn/home health. Do you do dishes and housework?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Dec 4, 2015

In skilled home health you are in and out. Visits only.

Skilled shift work is private duty you may clean what you dirty such as a measuring cup & spoon used to prepare an enteral feed. Mop the floor if spilled medicine or formula. Not routine housework. That would be a CHHA that visits between skilled nursing visits not a trach or GT patient

middleagednurse · Dec 4, 2015

That was always a big question when I did private duty. Everyone has an opinion but I don't think there are really any hard and fast rules. I was pretty much expected to keep the patient's environment clean. Meaning I did the patient's laundry, and the patient's dishes, if there were any, and carried out the patient's trash, and kept the patient's room straightened up.

Idaho_nurse · Dec 9, 2015

Private duty nursing through a home heath agency and working with ONE client daily is different than working for a general home health agency. I have done both, but private type duty was not for me. In that job, I was the primary caregiver for a 24/7 pediatric trach client, and I worked overnights and stayed in the home daily. In that case, I did make sure that the patients area was clean and sanitary, did the bathing, and made sure what I used for the client was washed, etc.... in that job, I feel it is expected, but vacuming, mopping, washing dishes for the family is NOT in the job description. Working general home health, I get asked alot if I would help with bathing by the client... cannot do it. it is not my job and we are on a limited time frame and if I am not "scheduled" to give a bath, then I am not allowed to give a bath. My agency has a few full time bath aides so if there is a need, then we get an order to add that service. I have also been asked by clients to empty trash, make food, etc... again, we cannot do it. Our skill set is skilled assessments and those "extra's" are not skilled assessments. If insurance gets wind that we are doing this sort of work for the client, then they will not pay us, as they will not pay for a skilled nurse to come in and mop floors.